1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to dental instruments and procedures, and, in particular, to an apparatus or method for curing dental composites which incorporates the use of a strobe light.
2. Description of Prior Developments
Dental composites are well known materials utilized in a variety of dental procedures. For example, these materials are utilized in restoration work as well as for filling in teeth after root canals or other type of procedures requiring drilling. Several different dental composites are available in today's market, which are sold under the trade names of BRILLIANT LINE, Z-100, TPH, CHARISMA, and HERCULITE & BRODIGY.
Dental composites are typically formed from a liquid and powder component, which are mixed together to form a paste. The paste has a consistency which enables it to be sufficiently workable and self supporting to be applied to an opening or cavity in a tooth. The liquid component can be composed of phosphoric acid and water, while the powder component can be composed of ceramic materials including cordite, silica or silicium oxide.
Dental composites when utilized are applied to an opening or cavity in a tooth of the patient. After the composite is applied, it must be cured in order to form a permanent bond to the tooth. During curing, the liquid component evaporates, which causes the composite to harden. In the past, dental composites have been cured by normal air drying. However, conventional air curing tends to take a long period of time, which often can inconvenience the patient.
Other methods have been developed in order to reduce the curing time of these dental composites. For example, light curing has become popular in field of dentistry for fabricating dentures as well as for curing composites. According to this trend, light curing lamps have been developed for dental curing applications. An example of such a curing lamp is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,397,892, issued Mar. 14, 1995, to Abdelqader, the same inventor herein. These curing lamps utilize a quartz halogen lamp that includes a "glowing filament".
However, improvements on these curing lamps appear to be needed. One reason is that these type of lamps produce a lot of light in the infrared range, which is not useful for curing dental composites. Further, since these lamps are continuous, a large amount of radiant energy can be produced, which may irritate or harm the patient. Another undesirable result of the large amount energy produced by these lamps is that the composite may be overheated. Over-heating the composite is undesirable since it can cure the composite too fast and thus cause excessive shrinkage.
Another method of light curing has been developed which utilizes pulsed laser light. The use of pulsed laser light for dental as well as medical applications is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,150, issued Dec. 15, 1992, to Levy. However, utilizing pulsed laser light for curing dental composites also suffers from similar drawbacks, as previously described in regard to the continuous light curing lamps. The lasers utilized in these applications also produce a lot of radiation and heat, which as previously described can irritate or possibly harm the patient, and overheat the composite as well. Also, utilizing lasers may be more expensive than using a conventional lamp or light source.
In view of the above, a need therefor exists for a curing apparatus or method in which dental composites can be cured effectively in a shorter period of time than conventional air curing. A further need exists for a curing apparatus and method that is less likely to cause irritation or overheat the dental composite being cured.